The Holland Chicken Project

The Barred Holland was developed in the United States from several existing breeds to be a productive, dual-purpose (both eggs and meat) chicken for the American homestead and small farm. With the advent of large-scale egg production in the mid-twentieth century, the Holland, like many heritage breeds, became less common on American farms. Today, they are very rare, listed as critically endangered by The Livestock Conservancy. No large, commercial hatchery offers them.

With its decline in popularity, its productive features have also waned. As a working farm, offering both eggs and meat to our customers, we want to see the Barred Holland restored to its intended useful capacity: a solid meat bird that lays an abundance of large, white eggs.

In order to accomplish this, we intend to hatch out a large number of chicks this spring, so that we can select the best breeders among them. By improving our stock year over year, we can offer the best quality chicks for other back yard chicken keepers and farmers down the road.

This is where you come in…

The number of chicks required to make these improvements will result in far more chickens than we need to keep right now. In the spring of 2025, we will again be offering chicks and young chickens for sale, so that you can add this rare breed to your own coop!

To find out more about this breed, check out the breed description from the Livestock Conservancy.

Our breeding program will focus on increasing weight and decreasing growth time, as well as increasing the size and number of eggs, and ensure they lay white eggs, while always keeping an eye to the holistic breed characteristics detailed in the Standard of Perfection.

Today, Hollands are very good layers of medium- to large-sized eggs (though they sometimes lay light brown or ‘tinted’ eggs, when they should lay white) and grow to a decent processing size in about 20-22 weeks. I would describe their temperament as “independent”—they are good foragers but would do fine in a backyard, curious and calm, not flighty but not the friendliest either.

Due to the barring gene—which gives them their striped coloration—Barred Hollands can be sexed very young, before the cockerels begin to grow larger combs. The cockerels are a much lighter grey color than the pullets.

We are offering:

8 week old pullets (females) around May 1 and May 22 for $15 each (10 for $125). 8 week old cockerels (males) for $5 each.

16 week old pullets (nearer to the point of lay) around July 1 and July 22 for $25 each (10 for $200). 16 week old cockerels for $7.

To reserve your Barred Hollands, or to ask any questions, please email us: whitney@braidedriverfarm.com

These birds will be available for local pick up only, near Grand Island/Hastings, Nebraska.

We feed all our chickens organic feed and provide access to pasture.

DISCLAIMERS: As this is still the early stages of the breeding project, all young chickens will not necessarily be suitable breeders. Many “off type” birds may occur. We also cannot guarantee anything in the way of size, growth rates, or egg laying capacity. Every chicken is different.